The subject matter described herein relates generally to wheelchairs and, more particularly, to a leg support assembly for use with a wheelchair and methods of assembling a wheelchair.
At least some known wheelchairs include a plurality of wheels, a support frame coupled to the wheels, a seat coupled to the support frame, and a pair of legs that extend outwardly from the support frame. Each leg includes a footrest that is coupled to the leg to support a patient's leg. In known wheelchairs, adjacent legs are spaced a distance apart such that a gap is defined therebetween.
During use of known wheelchairs, as a patient is seated on the seat assembly, the patient's legs extend outwardly from the seat assembly towards the footrests. However, some patients may not have sufficient leg strength or dexterity to keep their legs on the footrest. Moreover, over time a patient may tire, and/or suffer from periodic leg spasms. As such, the patient's legs may slip from the footrests and fall into the gap defined between the legs. As the patient's legs fall between the legs, the legs may contact the support frame, the ground, and/or the wheelchair wheels causing injury to the patient.